Hosanna in the highest!

Matthew 21:1-11
 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,  

“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 

 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  

They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  

And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

So the multitudes said,

 “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

 Luke 19:39-40

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, 

“Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

 But He answered and said to them,

“I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

                                                                                                                                             

Jesus was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd that Sunday two thousand years ago.

"He was a King; royal, without trappings. His garment was homemade...His steed was a beast of burden not yet broken to harness... His courtiers were fisher folk, His cavalcade a mob of Galileans. And yet no pageant that ever passed through the streets of imperial Rome has so impressed the centuries as that. The triumphal entries of Roman emperors are almost forgotten, but of that entry of Jesus to Jerusalem, every detail recorded is known by the common people everywhere." (G. Campbell Morgan) 

 Jesus entered Jerusalem as King, but the crowds that greeted Him didn't understand that His Kingdom was not of this world. Likewise, Jesus stands ready to enter every corridor of our lives, and yet we fail to understand and give Him complete access. "A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality." (A. W. Tozer).

Are we ready to welcome Jesus? Do we want the spiritual world to be real to us? Are we willing to give the King entry into every aspect of our lives?

"It all hinges upon Jesus coming into the heart as His own house, altogether His own. If there are some rooms of which we do not give up the key, some little sitting-room, which we would like to keep as a little mental retreat with a view from the window, which we do not quite want to give up-some lodger whom we would rather not send away just yet-some little dark closet which we have no resolution to open and set right-of course the King has not full possession; our heart is not all and really His own...Only throw open all the doors, and the King of glory shall come in." (Francis Ridley Haverhal).

Are we like the people in the fickle crowd who greeted Jesus on Palm Sunday, but turned their backs when it seemed inconvenient and unprofitable to follow Him on Friday?

This week, we ought to open all the doors of our life and welcome Jesus with outstretched arms. We should uproot the weeds of discontent and pull out the briers of deceit from our lives, and offer them as palm branches.And take off the layers of pretense and the robes of self-centered-ness that smother our hearts, and lay them at the feet of Jesus.

"Give to Christ, therefore, free entrance into your heart, and keep out all things that hinder His entrance. When you have Him you are rich enough, and He alone will be sufficient for you. Then He will be your provider and defender and your faithful helper in every necessity." (Thomas 'a Kempis).

Today and throughout this week, join all creation in unhindered praise and welcome to the Triumphal King.

Maybe it's my Lutheran heritage, but I still love to hear hymns played on the organ. This is one of my favorite Palm Sunday hymns, and this version has some really fun improvisations in it. Enjoy : ) 

1. Hosanna, loud hosanna,
the little children sang,
through pillared court and temple
the lovely anthem rang.
To Jesus, who had blessed them
close folded to his breast,
the children sang their praises,
the simplest and the best.

2. From Olivet they followed
mid an exultant crowd,
the victor palm branch waving,
and chanting clear and loud.
The Lord of earth and heaven
rode on in lowly state,
nor scorned that little children
should on his bidding wait.

3. "Hosanna in the highest!"
that ancient song we sing,
for Christ is our Redeemer,
the Lord of heaven our King.
O may we ever praise him
with heart and life and voice,
and in his blissful presence
eternally rejoice!

What's The Point of Romance?

Today’s culture seems to have an virtually endless supply of answers to that question.  We’re bombarded with “suggestions” from the latest novels, newest films and catchiest tunes on the radio.

“I want your love and I want your revenge. I want your love, I don’t wanna be friends.” ~ Bad Romance by Lady GaGa

“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him — and I didn’t know how potent that part might be — that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” ~ Twilight

“I know your type, Boy, you’re dangerous. Yeah, you’re that guy I’d be stupid to trust…But just one night couldn’t be so wrong. You make me wanna lose control.” ~ Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship

 “Avril’s Back! How love finally made her happy.” “Girls Gone Wild! How far must a girl go to get his attention?” ~ From the covers of Seventeen magazine.

After pondering many of these “suggestions,” I settled upon what seemed to me to be five of the most prevalent (and somewhat conflicting) messages that many people believe about romance today:

1. It’s ok to be selfish, because you are the most important person in your life.
2. You need to look “hot,” because people will be more likely to pay attention to you and maybe even fall in love with you. 
3. You have been told your whole life that the best looking guy/girl out there is the one you should pursue, and you should expect everyone else to be thinking the same way.
4. Love is the most important emotion – to be pursued and obtained at any cost  and when this “love” crumbles, so does our “world.”
5. Relationships are temporary, and so is love.

With “help” from the media, I believe that much of what people today define as “love” (“unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another”) is in reality only infatuation (“to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment”) or lust (“intense or unbridled sexual desire”).  Notice that both of these deviations from what love is really meant to be involve both selfishness and a lack of wisdom.  In fact, that definition of love that I included above is only what the dictionary says. The Bible’s definition is all that and so much more. Biblical romance involves not only selflessness and wisdom, but looking to Christ as our role model for what love looks like in every season of our lives.

So what does that mean for those of us yet single?

 “HE: As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women.  SHE: As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men.” ~ Song of Solomon 2:2-3

Pursuing romance the Biblical way may (will) mean  that our lives will look different from the lives of those around us.  But it is a refreshing difference – like spotting a lily blooming brilliantly in the midst of a thicket of
brambles.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails." ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Wait… What? Is that really what the Bible says about love?

Mhm – talk about counter-cultural!  These verses are completely opposite to the five cultural messages above, especially number one and number four!

Love is not being attracted to someone physically or even being attracted to their personality. 

Love is a 60-year-old man sitting by his wife’s bed reading to her as she’s dying from cancer.

Love is giving up your dreams of a "free" and "glamorous" life to serve your husband, keep a tidy house, pick his socks up off the bedroom floor, wake up at all hours of the night to care for children and wake up early just to say good morning to him even though you’d rather sleep in.

Love is being a one-woman man, going to work every week-day to provide for your family, listening to your wife’s ideas and advice even if it’s not exactly what you had in mind, not getting upset when she doesn’t have time to make dinner, leaving her notes in her makeup pouch just to say you think she’s dazzling at age 40, planning date nights with her even when you learn that your guy friends are planning a party on the same day and working with her to raise children with a passion for God.

That’s what love is.

The culture has completely wrong, which is probably one reason we see so many divorces these days. Love is not self-serving at all. It’s the complete opposite.

When you say you love someone, you’re saying,

 “I want to be by your side through thick and thin, and serve you even when I’d rather serve myself.” 

If both parties have that mindset, it creates such a beautiful symphony of a relationship that people can’t help noticing.

As singles, it is necessary for us to realize and keep that mindset before us as we practice selflessness with our families and friends in preparation for that relationship which God ordained to be a reflection of his relationship with us. We aught to love one another as Christ first loved us (Ephesians 5:25-30), and show others the mercy and grace that has been abundantly and undeservedly poured out upon us.

"Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'" ~ Mark 12:28-30

Serving Christ, making him known wherever we are and being genuinely and passionately in love with him should be the most important things in our lives; the things that are most worth pursuing.

Finding love should not be the main pursuit of our lives, but instead, seeking Christ and his righteousness and following wherever he leads us.

Yes, along the way he may lead us to love; the place where your heart soars and you can’t wipe that grin off of your face, but love itself is not the goal of a relationship. Neither are the feelings of contentment or the heart flutters

The ultimate goal of any earthly relationship is to point others to Christ and the gospel. If a relationship causes us to dishonor God, soil his name, or fall away from him, then it’s not worth it. But if it causes us to grow more in love with Christ, to embrace his work in our lives, and to nurture that desire to share all he’s done for us with others, then it can be one of the most wonderful unions on earth.

What could be more beautiful than a picture (though imperfect) of Christ and his long-awaited Bride?

As singles, we can spend the time we have now, before a relationship begins to pursue God more passionately as our first love; to let his atoning sacrifice cause our hearts to soar and to marvel at his fingerprints in every aspect of our lives, provoking a grin that reaches from ear-to-ear, and lasts for all of eternity.

So, what’s the point of romance? 

The point of romance is to show the world how amazing our God is.  And a romance that points to the gospel can start right now. Today, while you’re still single. It starts with the decision to make Christ the all-consuming passion of your heart and to let the world know.

                                                                                                                                          

So what do y'all think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Just Follow Your Heart?

Yesterday, as I was working, I probably heard at least 6 songs in which the main point was "Follow your Heart", "Listen to your Heart".... and more of the like.   

I don't know about you, but my heart is the last thing I should be trusting. 

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that,  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

And  in Ecclesiastes 9:3 we read that,  Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live,

Following the heart means you will chase after what feels good in the moment and have no concern for what God may desire for you. The heart is corrupt and a extremely unreliable decision making tool.

The worldly philosophy's of  "Just Follow your Heart", "Be True to Yourself" etc are really in direct contrast to what we see in Scripture.  

Christ said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”  (Mark 8:34)

The word “deny” here literally translates: to forget one's self, lose sight of one's self and one's own interests.  We are meant to let all thoughts of self, and our selfish wants become swallowed up in Him. 

The secret to real happiness isn't doing whatever our sinful hearts want, it's forgetting all about our self and becoming completely consumed with only one thing – Jesus Christ.  

Just as John the Baptist who declared, “I must decrease, so that He might increase!” (John 3:30)

We often believe we are submitted to God’s will, but in reality we expect Him to bend to our own plans. We follow our own hearts and desires, and then ask God to make our spiritual lives vibrant in the midst of it all. 

But the true Christian life doesn’t work that way. When we exchange our lives for Christ’s, we lay our own agendas, dreams, desires, and plans at His feet. We get completely out of the way, and allow Him to live His life through us in whatever way He chooses.  

So don't let your heart deceive you. It's not infallible. In fact, its default mode is to lead you the wrong direction. Don't follow your heart; follow your Savior.

  

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

 Matthew 15:24-25 

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 

Philippians 3:8 

Are You a Good Christ?

I ran across this article by Francis Chan and I wanted to share it with you. It convicts you to think more deeply about how authentic your faith is. How many things we ( I ) must improve in light of this approach!

I think it's time we stop asking ourselves the question: "Am I a good Christian?" We live in a time when the term "Christian" has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves "good Christians." We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: "Am I a good Christ?" In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.

Dan is a long time friend of mine. In fact, he's the pastor who performed my wedding. He was talking to me about a pastor named Von. Von has been working with youth in the San Diego area for decades. Many of his students have gone on to become amazing missionaries and powerful servants of God. Dan described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico with Pastor Von. (Von has been ministering to the poor in the dumps of Tijuana for years). Dan didn't speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. What impacted Dan the most was the relationship he saw between Von and the people of this community. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von's words and actions as he held these malnourished and un-bathed children. Then he made the statement that sent me reeling:

"The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: "If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!" After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me-"The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus." The answer was an obvious "no." Would any honest person say that about you?

What bothered me was not that I hadn't "arrived," but that I wasn't even heading in the right direction. I hadn't made it my goal to resemble Christ. I wasn't striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. Isn't it ironic that a man can be known as a successful pastor, speaker, and CHRISTian even if his life doesn't resemble Christ's?

1 John 2:6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."

When John made that statement, he wasn't speaking about how to be a church leader or even how to be a "good" Christian. He merely stated that anyone who calls himself Christian must live like Jesus did. So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird's-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own. Are you comfortable with the similarities and differences?

It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of "success" as American church-goers define it. The thought of being well-known and respected is alluring. There have been times when I've been caught up in the fun of popularity. I've even mistaken it for success. Biblically, however, success is when our lives parallel Christ's. Truth is, there are many good Christs that you'll never read about in a magazine. They are walking as Jesus walked, but they are too focused and humble to pursue their own recognition.

May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: "The day/hour/15 minutes I spent with ______ was the closest thing I've ever experienced to walking with Jesus."
As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.

Try to be COMPLETELY honest with yourself right now. Is the following true of you?

You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.
In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.

The American church has abandoned the most simple and obvious truth of what it means to follow Jesus: You actually follow His pattern of life. I pray for those who read this article- that we don't become cynical or negative toward the church. Instead, let's make a personal decision to stop talking so much and begin living like Jesus. Then we can say as the apostle Paul, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

My guess is that you've never had someone say that to you, and you've never said it to anyone else. Why Not?

Musical Monday - Hosea

As I was reading through a post one of my friends had written about the Prophet Hosea, (which you can read here). The words to the song "Hosea"  by Andrew Peterson, started going through my mind. This is one of my most favorite songs (read further down for lyrics), which, at first glance, might seem an odd choice. A song about a harlot? Really? But if you know the story of Hosea, you might understand why a little bit better.  

The Old Testament story of Hosea paints a powerful picture of the stubborn, pursuing, renewing love of God.  Hosea is told by God to marry a runaround, no-good, heartless woman. Hosea obeys, and I can’t help thinking that he must not have enjoyed it much.  He was probably humiliated, scorned by his friends, not to mention heartbroken by his new wife, Gomer.

All because God wanted to make a point.

After Gomer ran off with another man, God sent Hosea to buy her back and bring her home.  Then God said about Israel, about us, dead in our sin:

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.  

I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.  

“And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ 

And no longer call Me ‘My Master, 

“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;   I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.

  Hosea 2:14-15, 19-20

The word Achor means “trouble”.  From the ashes of the Valley of Trouble came new life, green and lush.  Forgiveness. Rest. Resurrection.

The part of the song that truly captures me is also my favorite part of this story: Hosea rescues Gomer, buying her back from the life to which she’d sold herself. I’d always thought of the scene through Hosea’s eyes – he looks at her, wallowing in squalor; he shakes his head and sighs, and takes her home anyway. The way God looks at me in my foolishness and loves me anyway

But this is where the song uncovers the true beauty of the tale . What did Gomer see when she looked up in her despair and saw him coming to claim her?

I lay in the brick street like a stray dog You came to me like a silver moon
With the saddest smile I ever knew Hosea carried me home again, home again

What thoughts went through her head at that moment? When he appeared in the slums, on streets unfit for his feet, searching for her like a parent seeking a lost child?

And then I realize, I don’t have to wonder what she felt. I know. You see, I’m Gomer.

And this, this is the beauty of grace – marvelous, breathtaking, undeserved and unreserved: That while I lay rotting in the gutter of my own stinking sin, God himself came down to the slum of this earth wrapped in the dirt and sweat and sickness of humanity to claim me as his own and carry me home.

One look and my stone heart crumbled It was a valley as green as jade
I swear it was the color of hope

 The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians,  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:4-10 


Because of that, I can sing and dance with joy alongside Gomer. I am a slave and a harlot no more.

Every time I lay in the bed beside you
Hosea, Hosea
I hear the sound of the streets of the city
My belly growls like a hungry wolf
And I let it prowl till my belly’s full
Hosea, my heart is a stone 

Please believe me when I say I’m sorry
Hosea, Hosea
You loveable, gullible man
I tell you that my love is true
Till it fades away like a morning dew
Hosea, leave me alone

Here I am in the Valley of Trouble
Just look at the bed that I’ve made
Badlands as far as I can see
There’s no one here but me, Hosea

I stumbled and fell in the road on the way home
Hosea, Hosea
I lay in the brick street like a stray dog
You came to me like a silver moon
With the saddest smile I ever knew
Hosea carried me home again, home again

You called me out to the Valley of Trouble
Just to look at the mess that I’ve made
A barren place where nothing can grow
One look and my stone heart crumbled
It was a valley as green as jade
I swear it was the color of hope
You turned a stone into a rose, Hosea

I sang and I danced like I did as a young girl
Hosea, Hosea
I am a slave and a harlot no more
You washed me clean like a summer rain
And you set me free with that ball and chain
Hosea, I threw away the key
I’ll never leave

Praise His Name Forever

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Nehemiah 9:6

High this mountain, broad this sea
Still, my sin ran deeper
Grave offense my soul did wreak
Against creation's keeper
But see what power so fell and fair
Has stayed his holy justice
God Himself all hell did bear
How great his love for us is

O serve Him, O serve Him
He who brings the morning
O serve Him, O serve Him
He who brings the morning

Ev'ry hour is a precious boon
Ev'ry breath is a mercy
Ev'ry glimpse of yonder moon
A balm upon this journey
How vast the heavens above this place
So small beneath His glory
Still He stooped and showed His face
And poured His mercy o'er me

O serve Him, O serve Him
He who brings the morning
O serve Him, O serve Him
He who brings the morning

Jesus, our Messiah King
For those who don't deserve Him
Conquered death all life to bring
So seek His face and serve Him
Serve him

Sing, Oh sing
Praise His name forever

Oh, praise Him,
Oh, praise Him,
Praise His name forever

Holy is the Lord
Holy is the Lord
And the Lord I will obey
Lord help I don't know my way

 Serve Hymn/Holy is the Lord - Andrew Peterson

photo source

Choosing Childlessness?

This was shared on our church's "insight" this week and I though y'all might enjoy it!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Some married adults may echo the sentiments of the Geneva Philosopher Rousseau who wrote;

"How could I achieve the tranquility of mind necessary for my work, my garret domestic cares and the noise of children?"

Consider the garrets of:

John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826)

 American Founding Father, lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States (1797–1801).

5 children

Johann Sebastian Bach ( March 21, 1685 –  July 28, 1750)

 German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque Period. Bach wrote much music, which was revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty.

20 Children

Neils Bohr (October 7, 1885 – November 18, 1962)

 Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr has been described as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century.

6 Children 

Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612 – September 16, 1672)

New England's first published poet. Her work met with a positive reception in both the Old World and the New World. 

8 Children

 Charles Darwin  (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882)

Author of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life and English naturalist. Darwin has been rightly been described as one of the most influential figures in human history. (though I would argue, not for good.)

10 Children  

Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 –  July 7, 1930)

 Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction.

5 Children 

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)

American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

6 Children 

Johnathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758)

 One of America's greatest  Christian preachers and theologians. Edwards played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and oversaw some of the first fires of revival.  President of the College of New Jersey (later named Princeton University).

11 Children 

Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630)

German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and was a key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction and belief that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan.

11 Children 

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)

 American Founding Father who was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801–1809).

5 Children 

Queen Victoria  (May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901)

 Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Her reign of 63 years and 7 months, which is longer than that of any other British monarch, is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom.

9 Children 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:4-5

End The Holocaust - 180 Movie

 "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." 
-Albert Einstein

 Human beings have a built in mechanism that desires to preserve life. We fight and struggle each day to survive – sometimes against great odds. This principle is present in the very core of our society, and Hollywood demonstrates this idea movie after movie.

 We cheer on the hero who is trying to rescue the weak and innocent (or at least his own self), while we boo the villain who is trying to destroy the life of the innocent or weak. But…are we missing something?

 What about the weakest and most innocent of all people – little children – particularly those in the safety of their mother’s womb. The same innocent children who would continue to live and laugh and love and dream, except perhaps that the child’s mother decides to end its little life because of the lies of the pro-choice movement.

The “180” movie changes minds because it disseminates information, and at the same time it addresses the human conscience.  It puts the viewer into a moral scenario so that they can empathize with human suffering, particularly with Jews who died in the Holocaust.  Then it swings to the subject of abortion and appeals to the same empathy.  What is actually coming into play is the human conscience. The conscience is the God-given moral judge that sits in the courtroom of the mind.  It intuitively knows that we should love our neighbor as ourselves and it is therefore wrong to commit murder, even if it is in the womb.

Pro-abortion people are committed to their convictions. They kill for the cause. But for those who are pro-life, the cause has to be a hill to die on. We must not, cannot, and will not let the slaughter continue.

There are many ways you can help to fight the holocaust of abortion. One of the simplest is by watching 180 Movie. You will see people get another perspective on abortion, and more than often those who watch it do a complete 180 themselves and become pro-life.  So, watch it.  Absorb it. Then please pass it on.


Just a heads up, this movie may not be appropriate for younger children and I would recommended parents to review first.

Murder is never justified by convenience! If so, it would have been fine for Hitler to kill millions of innocent people. It would have been okay for Stalin to do the same. Because a human being has not had the opportunity to take its first breath, makes them no less human than you or I, nor is the act of ending their heartbeat anything less than murder!

Who is going to save the children from the abortion industry? And it is an industry, masterminded by the greatest villian ever. Shall we continue to cheer him on? Or shall we stand with the truth and our own convictions to preserve life! Children in the womb are indeed living beings – this fact cannot be denied.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

180 Movie is calling any bloggers or website owners that would like to help change the course of history. By writing between 1 and 3 short blog posts for 180Movie.com you will be helping end abortion as we know it. We need several hundred more blog posts in order to reach the first page of the search engines for keywords like “abortion” “pro-life” and “pro-choice”, with your help we can make this happen. If you have already written some, we’re asking if you can write some more!

For more info on how you can be a part go here!

The Funny Thing About Truth......Is It's True!

 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 

2 Corinthians 4:3-5 

  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Musical Monday - O Sacred Head Now Wounded

The words of this song have gone through many revisions and changed hands many times before coming to us in our English form as we know it today. It is thought to have its roots in twelfth-century monastic life.

The original poem was called “Rhythmica Oratio” by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. His father was a knight and his mother has been said to have been a person of radiant goodness. Bernard chose monastery life while in his early twenties. Martin Luther said of him, “He was the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together.”

The original poem had seven parts, with each part discussing various parts of Christ’s body as He suffered on the cross, His feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and face. Our hymn text is only the seventh portion of the poem, and was originally entitled, “Salve Caput Cruentatum”.

The German translation was done by Paul Gerhardt, a German man who suffered much heartache in his life. He went through the Thirty Years’ War, and while still a young man lost his wife and four baby girls. He is credited with writing 132 hymn texts during his life, which are said to be a reflection of inner spiritual wealth. One person has said, “Many were written under circumstances that would make most men cry rather than sing.”

James Waddell Alexander translated the English version of this song. He was a history teacher, but always had more of an interest in hymnology. He translated many German and Latin texts that were published in a book titled, “The Breaking Crucible and Other Translations.”

Although not much else is known about the history of this song, it has certainly been used of the Lord throughout the years, not only in the lives of these three men, but also in the lives of many more of God’s people. Philip Schaff said, “This classic hymn has shown in three tongues – Latin, German and English – and in three confessions – Roman, Lutheran and Reformed – with equal effect, the dying love of our Savior and our boundless indebtedness to Him.”

this recording by Fernado Ortega has only three of the verses on it, I highlighted those in gray for you.

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him 

Matthew 27:27-31

Slaves, Saints, and Shamrocks

      Did you all have a good Saint Patrick's day? I was hoping to write up something about Saint Patrick, but I didn't get a chance to put one together in time. So...... I thought I'd share with you what my dear friend Leah Nicolette wrote on her blog.

If you like adventurous stories, then you will like reading of the life of St. Patrick. He was born in 389 A.D. and was actually from England, not Ireland as most people think him to be. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a pastor but despite all that Patrick rejected Christianity in his youth.

   One tragic day, when he was just 16 he was walking on the shores of England, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates. The pirates eventually sold him the other Irishmen who kept him in slavery for six years. Like the prodigal son, Patrick' job was tending the pigs. Patrick thought about the things that his parents had taught him in his childhood. This is what he writes:

   "I was sixteen years old and knew not the true God; but in that strange land the Lord opened my unbelieving eyes, and, altogether late, I called my sins to mind, and was converted with my whole heart to the Lord my God, who regarded my low estate, had pity on my youth and ignorance, and consoled me as a father consoles his children"

     Though some never escaped captivity, Patrick did and fled towed the sea two hundred miles away. He got a job on a ship hoping that someday it would lead him home. They eventually did land on the same banks that he was taken from. I can only imagine his reunion with his parents again after so long, and them learning of his new found faith. A beautiful example of how God does answer the prayers of parents for their children.
   As wonderful as it was to reach home at last, Patrick felt strangely drawn back to Ireland where he had spent six grueling years in slavery. he had dreams that the Irish children were calling him back to the pagan land.  And in 432 Patrick traveled back to Ireland once again.............................

Read the rest of the her post here ~~  St. Patrick

        This is my favorite quote by Saint Patrick

"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me."

 To many people, St. Patrick’s Day is nothing more than a holiday to commemorate the traditions of Ireland. People wear “Irish” green; stores decorate with shamrocks, leprechauns, and rainbows; and restaurants feature meals of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes . . . or green-colored mint milkshakes.

To others, March 17th is a day to gratify the flesh: to guzzle beer, or to glorify sinful lifestyles through disgraceful city-wide parades. How far we have come from the real story of a missionary named Patrick and the sacrifices he made to bring the love of Jesus Christ to the people of Ireland. Today, more than ever, our world needs the Gospel.

During the month of March, let’s remember the amazing missionary story of St. Patrick and let it remind us of the great commission.

 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

- Matthew 28:18-20

A True Love Story.....

THE INTENTION

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Will bring her into the wilderness,
And speak comfort to her.  

I will give her her vineyards from there,
And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope;
She shall sing there,
As in the days of her youth,
As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. 

“And it shall be, in that day,”
Says the Lord,
“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’
And no longer call Me ‘My Master, 

 For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals,
And they shall be remembered by their name no more. 

In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely.

  

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;  

I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the Lord.

Hosea 2:14-20 

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THE PROPOSAL

The voice of my beloved! 

behold, he cometh

leaping upon the mountains,

skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:
behold, he standeth behind our wall,
he looketh forth at the windows,
shewing himself through the lattice.
My beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
Arise, my love, my fair one,
and come away.
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret places of the stairs,
let me see thy countenance,
let me hear thy voice;
for sweet is thy voice,
and thy countenance is comely.

My beloved is mine, and I am his:
he feedeth among the lilies.

Song of Solomon 2:8-14, 16 

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THE RESCUE

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:11-16 

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THE INVITATION

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write,

Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Revelation  19:6-9

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THE WEDDING

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Revelation 21:1-5

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